10 most common cancers in men

There are many common cancers afflicting men. They tend to have it more often than women because of their lifestyle, smoking or drinking habits, taking no sun protection, or working in toxic environments like factories.

Cancer can develop anywhere in the body and sometimes show no symptoms, so full-body checkups come into play. Most men do not take cancer seriously, and it becomes too late when they get diagnosed and seek treatment.

Some types of cancer can affect men only. No matter what the cancer type is, all types of cancers are painful and can take a toll on the body and mind. It's a leading cause of death globally.

However, the survival rate overall is improving, even for some cancers that weren't considered treatable. Let's now look at the most common cancer in men and its types.

Ten most common cancers in men

#1 Prostate cancer

The most common cancer in men who are old is prostate (Image by Freepik)

This is known to be the most common cancer in men, generally affecting the older people.

It's also the second most common type with high numbers of deaths. For stages one and two, PC has a five-year survival rate of 99 percent. Prostate cancers are slow-growing or remain stable.

They are very treatable. Most men are diagnosed before they have prostate cancer symptoms, but to be sure, let your health professional know if you have a family history of this disease to prevent the risk.

#2 Colorectal cancer

This term refers to all CAs of the colon and rectum combined and is the third most common cancer in men.

Colon cancer screening can save many lives. A colonoscopy can be done to detect early cancers in the colon. Unlike other screening test in men, it accomplishes two purposes:

Primary prevention of colon cancer.
Detection of the disease when it’s in the earliest and most treatable stages.

#3 Lung cancer

Smoking is the leading cause of the most common cancer in men. (Image by Engin Akyrut/Unsplash)

Lung CA is the leading cause and is the most common cancer in men. It's the reason for more deaths than the two leading types~prostate and colorectal.

Symptoms of lung cancer may include:

Persistent cough
Coughing out blood
Hoarseness
Shortness of breath

#4 Skin cancer

Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. (Image by Freepik)

Men are more likely to get affected by melanoma, a form of skin CA. It's a dangerous skin disease and is a common cancer in men.

Most men tend to use less sunscreen but are not aware of the risks. They are also less knowledgeable about melanoma and do not bother to seek medical evaluation.

They do not wear sun-protective clothes and hats often and tend to spend more time outside for work or recreation.

#5 Testicular cancer

Most common cancer in men: testicular type (Image by Freepik)

This type is most often diagnosed in men aged 15-45 and an average age of about 33. The exact cause is unknown. However researchers believe that a combination of genetics, physiological factors and environmental causes are the culprit.

A few symptoms of testicular CA can include a lump or swelling in one testicle combined with back pain and heaviness and swelling in the lower abdomen or scrotum.

#6 Pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer can spread fast in the later stages. (Image by Julos on Freepik)

This cancer is the fourth most deadly and most common cancer in men. It occurs less often than prostate or colon cancer, but the survival rates are extremely low.

The overall five-year survival rate is 13 percent but drops to just 3 percent when diagnosed in the later stages. Sadly, most cases are detected in the last stages because the symptoms are vague or non-existent.

#7 Liver and bile duct CA

Liver cancer affecting the liver and bile duct (Image by Julien Tromeur/Unsplash)

Cancers of this type are the fifth leading cause of CA-related deaths in men. If the disease originates in the liver, it's called primary liver CA. It’s important to distinguish this type from metastases to the liver. Common symptoms of liver cancer are loss of appetite and abdominal pain.

#8 Leukemia

Cancer of the blood cells (Image by NCI/Unsplash)

It's a combination of several types of blood-related CA, which are:

Acute myeloid (AML)
Chronic myeloid (CML)
Acute lymphocytic (ALL)
and Chronic lymphocytic (CLL)

This condition varies depending on the type and the blood cells become cancerous. Because it’s a blood-related cancer, symptoms are not usually related to one specific area of the body.

#9 Esophageal CA

This cancer type can cause severe coughing. (Image by Brittany Colette/Unsplash)

This is the seventh most fatal type. There are two types of CA of the esophagus: the adenocarcinoma and the squamous cell carcinoma. These differ in the types of cells found from where the cancer began.

Symptoms of esophageal cancer may include:

Persistent cough
Hoarseness
Trouble with swallowing
The feeling of something stuck in the throat

The five-year survival chance is 22 percent but depends on case to case.

#10 Bladder cancer

Bladder cancer is the 8th most common cancer in men (Image by asierromero on Freepik)

Among the most common cancers in men, it's the eighth leading type causing cancer-related death. It's the fourth most diagnosed cancer in men. There are several types of bladder cancer. The most common is transitional cell carcinoma.

Fifty percent of men are diagnosed at an early stage, and it affects only the inner layer of cells in the bladder. Smoking is believed to be the cause in almost 50 percent of men with this cancer.

With awareness, new screening guidelines, treatments and other technological advancements, many people are winning their CA battles or living with it longer.

Nevertheless, it's important to be aware of the signs and behaviors associated with the aforementioned common types of cancers. Always remember that cancer can be a silent killer, which means that they don’t typically make noise until they are at an advanced stage.

Talk to your health professional to understand the risks, and take precautions to avoid these cancers.